I Wonder if Travel Insurance Covers This?

[mnocket]

“My family and I arrived back to our hotel room in Rome only to find our safe with all of our passports, money, and other valuables missing (literally ripped out of the wall) along with some of our luggage, a purse, and a cell phone,” Cassandra later wrote on Facebook.

“The security cameras in our hotel are inconveniently “out of service” for the week,” she went on, claiming that the local police and Canadian embassy were not available to immediately help them.

 

To add insult to injury, without their passports, the group were not able to make their cruise, the Mirror reports. Royal Caribbean reps also reportedly said they would not be issued a refund for the trip.

 

Here's the full article   https://www.foxnews.com/travel/family-royal-caribbean-cruise-trapped-hotel 

[clo]

I am right now educating myself about trip insurance.  We just got the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card which comes with very good coverage.  But the main point of all of insurance is the "fine print."  What's covered and what's excluded.  And it can and should be quite specific.  Probably not the answer you're looking for but that's my two cents 🙂

[mom says]

Would travel insurance cover what, exactly? Different insurance will have limitations on different things. And travel insurance from credit cards have a LOT of restrictions and exclusions, as well as relatively low maximum payouts. This article was discussed at length on another forum I frequent. It was never clear whether this family carried any insurance.

 

Typical hyperbole and exaggeration in this article, as well as omitting other information given in articles by other news agencies. 

 

ETA: yorkshirephil,  the OP is just quoting from a news article. He isn't the victim.

Edited August 30, 2019 by mom says

[yorkshirephil]

Devil is in the detail, even when you do read the small print it is not always easy to fully understand some of the weasly phrases. 

Edited August 30, 2019 by yorkshirephil

[Shorex]

Mine would. But then I would document everything that happened - from police reporting, photos of the ravaged hotel room, copies of the hotel reservation and cruise ticket, attempt to solicit passport replacement from the Canadian embassy, and everything else that would possibly support a claim. Of course they would not be allowed to board without passports. Duh. Of course RC would not give them refunds. Duh. That's the purpose of travel insurance that includes trip disruption.

[FlyerTalker]

One thing to remember...at almost all hotels, the "safes" in the room are provided as a "convenience", with the hotel explicitly declaiming any liability for loss from use of that "safe".  Only a safe at the front desk would be part of a hotel's liability, and even then, it's a matter of the fine print.

 

Read the labels on those room safes and you'll see what I mean.

 

Also, they checked into the hotel on a Friday and spent the day sightseeing.  So when they discovered the robbery, the embassy was probably closed for the evening and the weekend.  They probably didn't have backup documentation on their passports, thus incurring another delay.  And they expected the embassy to make things right by their ship departure on Sunday?

[Flatbush Flyer]

10 hours ago, mnocket said:

“My family and I arrived back to our hotel room in Rome only to find our safe with all of our passports, money, and other valuables missing (literally ripped out of the wall) along with some of our luggage, a purse, and a cell phone,” Cassandra later wrote on Facebook.

“The security cameras in our hotel are inconveniently “out of service” for the week,” she went on, claiming that the local police and Canadian embassy were not available to immediately help them.

 

To add insult to injury, without their passports, the group were not able to make their cruise, the Mirror reports. Royal Caribbean reps also reportedly said they would not be issued a refund for the trip.

 

Here's the full article   https://www.foxnews.com/travel/family-royal-caribbean-cruise-trapped-hotel 

Conpregrnsive homeowner's insurance for stolen stuff (though claim would obviously require documentation (e.g., police report, letterhead declaration from hotel manager et al.).

As for cruise insurance, you'd need to read the T&Cs of the specific policy for "covered causes" for trip delay/cancel.

As for someone being able to walk away with a hotel safe, this is one situation where the old adage "pennywise and pound foolish" holds true. The hotel mentioned may be cheap. But, that's where the benefits end (particularly as regards security).

[ilikeanswers]

I can't speak for Canadian insurance but I know in Australia there can be a cover for "trip interruptions" and one of the reasons for trip interruption they will cover usually includes the loss of your passport. And from what I have read they say they will pay out for any loss of prepaid travel arrangements. They don't usually specify what travel arrangements but I would assume (I know a dangerous thing with insurance😝) that would include a cruise.

[Joebucks]

22 hours ago, mom says said:

Would travel insurance cover what, exactly? Different insurance will have limitations on different things. And travel insurance from credit cards have a LOT of restrictions and exclusions, as well as relatively low maximum payouts.

 

I always agree that you should read the coverage you have, because all coverages have exclusions. Care to shed anymore light as to why the credit card option is that much more limited than regular insurance? While credit card benefits have caps on the limits, all insurances do. Few need $250,000 medical evacuation insurance

[BlueRiband]

Yet another news report accuring a cruise line of being evil, greedy, and having no compassion for a family in distress. 

 

There's no mention of whether or not this family bought any kind of travel insurance.  Since they have taken their story to the media (Fox picked it up from the UK's Mirror) it's likely that they chose not to buy it. 

 

This has got to be the second worse thing that can happen while traveling and exceeded only by landing in a foreign hospital.  Everyone is entitled to make their own evaluation of risk and self-insure should they choose to do so.  But this is wanting it both ways: Save the money by not buying insurance yet publically shame RCI for a refund when something goes horribly wrong.  How is a burglary in a hotel RCI's fault?  If RCI capitulates then what is the point of buying insurance? 

[LHT28]

Did I miss the part where the family blamed RCCL  for not refunding them??

 

I did see

<< the Mirror reports. Royal Caribbean reps also reportedly said they would not be issued a refund for the trip. >>

[mnocket]

48 minutes ago, BlueRiband said:

Yet another news report accuring a cruise line of being evil, greedy, and having no compassion for a family in distress. 

 

There's no mention of whether or not this family bought any kind of travel insurance.  Since they have taken their story to the media (Fox picked it up from the UK's Mirror) it's likely that they chose not to buy it. 

 

This has got to be the second worse thing that can happen while traveling and exceeded only by landing in a foreign hospital.  Everyone is entitled to make their own evaluation of risk and self-insure should they choose to do so.  But this is wanting it both ways: Save the money by not buying insurance yet publically shame RCI for a refund when something goes horribly wrong.  How is a burglary in a hotel RCI's fault?  If RCI capitulates then what is the point of buying insurance? 

You certainly seem to have read a lot into a simple statement that RCI said they would not be offering a refund.  

[Mike981]

On 8/30/2019 at 12:12 PM, mnocket said:

To add insult to injury, without their passports, the group were not able to make their cruise, the Mirror reports. Royal Caribbean reps also reportedly said they would not be issued a refund for the trip.

 

 

Why should RC refund them? If I make reservations at a hotel and if some unfortunate circumstances happen, I wouldn't expect the hotel to not charge me. Yes it is unfortunate as explained in the article, but there isn't a lot of deep investigative reporting here.

[LHT28]

54 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

 

Why should RC refund them? If I make reservations at a hotel and if some unfortunate circumstances happen, I wouldn't expect the hotel to not charge me. Yes it is unfortunate as explained in the article, but there isn't a lot of deep investigative reporting here.

We do not know if the PAX asked for a refund or just the  reporter  stating they would not get one from RCL

 

We do not have all the facts so some are speculating  the PAX asked for  a refund

 

[mom says]

54 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

We do not know if the PAX asked for a refund or just the  reporter  stating they would not get one from RCL

 

We do not have all the facts so some are speculating  the PAX asked for  a refund

 

Actually, they did ask. The link provided by the OP was an example of poor reporting. Here's one that provides a fuller report of the incident  (posted on Tuesday) https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ont-family-stranded-in-rome-after-their-hotel-room-was-ransacked-1.4567520

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

Actually, they did ask. The link provided by the OP was an example of poor reporting. Here's one that provides a fuller report of the incident  (posted on Tuesday) https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ont-family-stranded-in-rome-after-their-hotel-room-was-ransacked-1.4567520

Thanks for that link

[FlyerTalker]

6 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Care to shed anymore light as to why the credit card option is that much more limited than regular insurance?

 

Perhaps because there is no additional fee to acquire the coverage?  Which you pay with "regular" insurance.

 

It is designed to provide a modicum of coverage, suitable for many circumstances.  It's not designed to be the most comprehensive policy around.

Edited August 31, 2019 by FlyerTalker

[clo]

28 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Perhaps because there is no additional fee to acquire the coverage?  Which you pay with "regular" insurance.

 

It is designed to provide a modicum of coverage, suitable for many circumstances.  It's not designed to be the most comprehensive policy around.

As we've been discussing on CC, we have the Chase Sapphire Reserve which seems to provide more than a "modicum." But, yeah,, I hear ya.